posted by Admin on Dec 2

UHF Antennas versus VHF Antennas

By Teddy Lim

Uhf-Antennas

UHF Antennas operates between the frequencies of 300 MHz and 3000 MHz. Until recently, it wasn’t widely used.

To highlight the differences in indoor range, below is an excerpt from a brochure of a leading two-way radio maker on the predicted range of one of their lines of VHF antennas and UHF antennas:

“Coverage estimates: At full power, line-of-sight, no obstructions the range is approximately 4+ miles. Indoor coverage at VHF antennas is approximately 270,000 sq ft and 300,000 sq ft at UHF antennas. Expect about 20 floors vertical coverage at VHF and up to 30 floors at UHF. Note: Range and coverage are estimates and are not guaranteed.”

VHF waves are not very good at penetrating walls, buildings and rugged landscape. Therefore range will be significantly reduced for VHF radios in these environments. That may not necessarily be a problem if the range needed is only a few hundred feet. You can also add an external antenna to an indoor VHF base station that will reduce or eliminate this problem.

UHF equipment is usually more expensive. The components need to be finely tuned and are more expensive to construct. This does not mean it’s necessarily better, just more expensive.

One advantage of UHF transmission is the physically short wave that is produced by the high frequency. That means the uhf antennas on the radio can be shorter than an equivalent VHF radio.

Other articles, which may be required: Handheld Vhf

TOP Uhf Antennas Product Reviews

Terk Technology HDTVi VHF/UHF HDTV Indoor Antenna...	Customer Review: We live by an airport but close to some very powerful broadcast towers. However, we have had some problems since the transition to digital TV. In the old SD times, a plane would fly over and the picture would go a bit fuzzy. Since the HDTV and dig... Read More	(238)
Winegard SS-3000 Amplified Indoor UHF/VHF Antenna...	Customer Review: I have a Terk indoor amplified directional antenna, it works great. I needed a 2nd antenna, so I got this Winegard based on Amazon reviews. I live in NJ, in the New York metro area. This is great, it picks all the major networks and then many others.... Read More	(193)
Channel Master 2016 DIGITAL ADVANTAGE (HDTV / VHF ...	Customer Review: The antenna seems well built and works great. Compact and light. <br /><br />I needed a rotor in the pre-digital days. Don't need one with this antenna, even with it mounted lower than my old one. I am about 20-25 miles out, but located... Read More	$33.20 (24)
Eagle Aspen Dtv2Buhf Directv 2-Bay Uhf Antenna...	Customer Review: I live in the Sierra mountains and thought there was a slight chance of receiving<br />an HD tv station. The antenna was well packaged and quickly shipped.<br />I wasn't expecting to receive any stations because of the trees, mountains an... Read More	(113)
RCA ANT751 Outdoor Antenna Optimized for Digital R...	Customer Review: I live approximately 25 miles from Birmingham , Alabama. All major channels(Fox,ABC,CBS,NBC) and all local independent channels come in crystal clear. Any non technical person can install this antenna as easy to follow instructions are provided. If y... Read More	(64)